Cooke

JOHANNESBURG – Production has resumed at the Cooke mine of South African precious metals producer Sibanye Gold following the conclusion of a wildcat strike at the operation which erupted almost a month ago, a company spokesperson said on Monday.

The strike, which saw incidents of violence aimed at miners who did not support it, was sparked by worker resentment at Sibanye’s drive to root out illegal miners, which included the sacking of employees for collusion and a ban on taking food into the shafts.

Last week the company said that 461 illegal miners had been arrested at Cooke since the strike began after they were forced to come to the surface because the stoppage deprived them of sources of food and water provided by employees.